Anand Sharma Announces Rs. 55 Crores Scheme for Agrotextiles in Northeast Allocation for Technical Textiles in 12th FY Plan to be Five Times more than the Allocation of Previous Plans, says Sharma

Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ministry of Textiles

17-January-2013 17:05 IST

The Union Minister for Commerce, Industry & Textiles Shri Anand Sharma today inaugurated the second edition of TechnoTex-2013 here in Pragati Maidan. TechnoTex-2013 is an annual and premier event jointly organised by the Ministry of Textiles and FICCI, focusing exclusively on Technical Textiles. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sharma announced a scheme on Usage of Agrotextiles in North East Region with a five year budget of Rs. 55 crores. Earlier, a pilot scheme worth Rs 500 crores for GeoTextiles was announced in the Budget Speech last year. “Viewed in tandem with our recent policy announcement of 51 per cent Foreign Direct Investment in Multi Brand Retail with its attendant benefits of reducing post-harvest agriculture and horticulture losses, the two Schemes together can change the trajectory of development in the North East Region,” said Shri Sharma. In consonance with the need to give an added thrust to the textile sector, the Minister said that the Plan outlay for the 12th Five Year Plan stands considerably enhanced to more than five times the allocation in the previous Plan to Rs 703 crores.

Shri Sharma further added that a special scheme has also been formulated in the Ministry of Textiles for the North East Region “for promotion of the Textiles Industry in this region by allowing fiscal flexibility through relaxation of parameters to suit localised region specific requirements.” Shri Sharma was confident that the approach of the Ministry and various schemes for the North East will fast track development of its infrastructure and bring in a new paradigm for economic growth in the region.

Shri Sharma, while considering the overarching and expansive nature of Technical Textiles, said that “a conscious effort has been made to solicit inter-ministerial collaborations with concerned Departments in Government of India to steer the agenda in coordinated partnership with States, Industry and related Ministries.” Shri Sharma was hopeful that both the industry and the departments as important stakeholders will find this mutually rewarding and enriching.

The Minster also said that the Ministry of Textiles is promoting technical textiles by incentivising to the extent of Rs 40 crores of the total project cost, Textile Parks specifically dedicated to Technical Textiles under the Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITPs). “Five such Parks namely, the Pallavada Technical Textile Park in Tamil Nadu, Baramati Hi-Tech Park in Maharashtra, Eco Textile Park in Gujarat, Jaipur Tex Weaving Park in Rajasthan and the Technical Textile and Machinery Mega project in Karnataka are under various stages of completion and are expected to emerge as industrial hubs in their own rights, generating employment, attracting investment and augmenting our export potential,” added Shri Sharma.

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DS/RK